The Weekly View

Hello all! I am filling in for Harold as he is taking a week to go fishing, and I wish the best of luck to him. He should have a great time and should be sharing some stories in next week’s edition. He left me this message: “I’m on assignment to the Northwest Angle of Minnesota to do some research on that lake’s walleye population for the June 13 issue.” This week has been a whirl wind for me, and I have made one of the biggest commitments in life: I married my best friend and fiancé Casey. I feel like the luckiest man to have been able to do so. It was a wonderful day with family and friends and we had a great time. If anyone has been through a wedding you know about the pictures; I was not too keen on them. It was almost three-quarters of a day of pictures and felt like forever. But, it was all worth it!

Playoffs for basketball and hockey are in their final stages and it looks like all the games should be a lot of fun to watch. The Cavs and Golden State are going head-to-head in the NBA finals, and I ask myself how these teams go every year. It is insane how stacked these teams are, and if I were to be honest I think it is time for other teams to have a chance. I was really rooting for Houston, but that is not realistic now. If I were to pick one team to go all the way I am hoping for Golden State. Their whole team is amazing, whereas the Cavs have been relying on LeBron James every single game (his numbers during the playoffs have been staggering this year). On the hockey side of things, a historic year is going down with the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights. With less than one year played, the Golden Knights have made history by making it to the playoffs. They look great, and they should since they got every team’s second and third line guys. Yes, they aren’t the stars of the team but many are just as good as the top players making this team stacked with hidden talent. I wish the Wild would have gotten that kind of pick when they started but alas, not much you can do about it. My only stipulation if they win the cup would be to break their team down again next year; they are just too good. The Capitals on the other hand, have my vote for the win this year. They have such a great team including T.J. Oshie who grew up in Minnesota and played for North Dakota. They’ve been snake-bitten a few years and should have been in a lot more finals for the playoffs so it is good to see those guys in there. I am hoping they can do it- I think they deserve the cup more than the first-year Golden Knights. I know a lot of you would agree with this statement if you follow hockey: I am just so glad those Penguins are not in the mix and couldn’t achieve the three-peat for Stanley Cups!

My drive in to work is around an hour, and I have seen a lot of wildlife coming in the mornings. I have seen a lot of male pheasants, with their beautiful red heads and long tails, chasing the earth-colored females. I figured it’s about time that a lot of animals are pairing up. I have seen so many pheasants that makes me believe the pheasant population may be going up this year and I hope so, especially for the hunters out there. I have seen a ton of geese pairing up as well, and it is surprising to know that geese were very hard to come by in the past. There are geese everywhere now, and after talking to the guys at A-Meat Shoppe in town I have heard their name for geese: sky carp. It makes sense since everywhere you look there are geese. I am pretty sure in the next couple weeks they will be crossing roads with the little ones following behind them and I urge drivers to be wary of areas that they may cross as they can cause stoppages in traffic and other traffic problems. Remember to keep an eye out!

I haven’t been out fishing in awhile due to my wedding, but I am hoping to get out soon. We are in the months where the fishing could get hot and I am hoping for some more giant walleyes after sunset. I have caught a couple in previous weeks, but nothing too gigantic, and I know there are some big ones out there I just need to find them. Of course Harold will be the first to know as I usually give him the run down after a fishing excursion; we like to talk fishing when we get in Monday mornings. He should have some great stories for next week and I am looking forward to it!

To finish, I will be heading up to Victoria and Vancouver Canada with my wife for our honeymoon this week. I am looking forward to spending some time as newlyweds and also to a sea-fishing adventure for halibut and salmon on Thursday. I will definitely have to let Harold know how it goes, as he will be interested if I catch anything.

Remember to enjoy some of this warm weather by the lake or maybe just outside on the patio. We Minnesotans should know better than anybody this weather will come and go fast and taking advantage of it right away is key!